A review by devinsf
Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper by Nicholson Baker

4.0

A scathing indictment of major American libraries’ stewardship of their collections, with a particular focus on the role of public funding (the National Endowment for the Humanities, etc) and key leaders at the Library of Congress. Precipitated by a manufactured crisis — the specter of “crumbling books” fueled by shoddy materials research — library directors began to “preserve” their periodicals in microfilm, and later, digitally... But this process generally resulted in inferior or incomplete copies, and usually involved destroying the irreplaceable originals, often in the name of simply freeing up space in the library. This book involves several fascinating tangents: bizarre experimentation with weapons-grade flammable gas for de-acidification, the use of mummy wrappings in late 19th c. ragstock, and more. Highly recommended.